第 8 课 · A Famous Monastery

A famous monastery

一座著名的修道院。

The Great St.Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy.

大圣伯纳德山口连接着瑞士和意大利。

At 2,473 metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe.

它海拔 2,473 米，是欧洲最高的山口。

The famous monastery of St.Bernard, which was founded in the eleventh century, lies about a mile away.

建于十一世纪的著名圣伯纳德修道院，坐落在离山口约一英里的地方。

For hundreds of years, St.Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers crossing the dangerous Pass.

几百年来，圣伯纳德犬一直拯救着翻越危险山口的旅行者的生命。

These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watchdogs even in Roman times.

这些友善的狗最初是从亚洲带来的，早在罗马时代就被用来看门。

Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the Pass is less dangerous, but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty.

如今山中已经凿通了隧道，山口不那么危险了；但每年，只要旅行者遇险，人们仍会把狗派进风雪里。

Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot.

尽管有了新隧道，仍有一些人贸然尝试徒步翻越山口。

During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars.

夏季的几个月里，修道院非常热闹，因为成千上万开车翻越山口的游客会来参观。

As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure.

由于周围人太多，这些狗不得不被圈在一个专门的围栏里。

In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different.

然而一到冬天，修道院里的生活就大不相同了。

The temperature drops to -30 degrees, and very few people attempt to cross the Pass.

气温降到零下 30 度，几乎没有人再尝试翻越山口。

The monks prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy.

修道士们更喜欢冬天而不是夏天，因为他们能享有更多清静。

The dogs have greater freedom, too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure.

狗也获得了更大的自由，因为它们被允许到围栏外面随意走动。

The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter.

冬天修道院唯一的常客，是圣诞节和复活节前来的一批批滑雪者。

These young people, who love the peace of the mountains, always receive a warm welcome at St.Bernard's monastery.

这些热爱群山宁静的年轻人，在圣伯纳德修道院总能受到热情的欢迎。